Letters: Hellhole, Sweet Hellhole

Jack Hitt's article about the craziness of Barrow, Alaska, is one of the most lucid and articulate I've ever read ("If I Can Take It There, I Can Take It Anywhere," June). I've been an "outsider" freezing up here for the past dozen years, and I've never met such a conglomeration of misfits in my life. It's refreshing to read an honest discourse on the state of affairs in a remote city that refuses to deal with its problems. The citizens of Barrow have created a frigid hellhole out of what could be a winter wonderland.

Wilbur Smith
Barrow, Alaska

Hitt's article has caused quite a stir here in Barrow. Hitt is the master of negative exaggeration. It is unfortunate that he didn't talk to some of the proud and resourceful whaling captains or village elders who are the real leaders in our community before determining that Barrow is America's lousiest zip code. I would like to take this opportunity to invite all the adventurous folks out there to come for a visit and see for themselves what a fine place Barrow really is-and what a great journalist Hitt would make for the National Inquirer.

Jim Vorderstrasse, Mayor
Barrow, Alaska

Mean Cuisine
When I tried to read "The Backcountry Epicure" (July), I thought I'd stumbled into some sort of gourmet yuppie hell. I seek out the wilderness to escape that kind of pretentious, don't-we-have-exquisite-taste act. Thank God that Adam Horowitz was allowed to speak for sloth and sensibility. He's the only one of the bunch that I'd want to share a campfire meal with-a can of chili, a bag of Doritos, and a Snickers for dessert.

Dennis Biddle
Lexington, Kentucky

Six months out of every year, I serve as camp cook for a guide company on the Deschutes River in Oregon. Your package by Paul Kvinta and friends will definitely be shooting the rapids in my dry bag. It's not easy creating exciting menus for weeklong river trips, but sitting down to a meal that doesn't taste like a pair of wet socks is well worth the effort. I hope Monique Barbeau doesn't mind if I claim her salmon taco recipe as my own.

Jennifer Austin
Portland, Oregon

Let There Be High Praise
What a wonderful article by Hampton Sides on the Grand Canyon ("Let There Be High Water," July). And what quintessential moments to experience-replete with his own personal night-light, the flood, and the million-year-old canyon walls. Epic, indeed!

Tony Fallin
Boulder, Colorado

Sides captured the strange and wonderful aspects of a wilderness experienced, studied, and regulated by man. I longed to be back among the half-crazed boatmen, inspired biologists, and awed visitors. Thanks for the flood-level view.

Matt Hussey
Madison, Wisconsin

Smudgeproof
I was shocked at Outside's portrayal of my image and what I stand for ("Eat My Mascara!" Dispatches, June). In regard to your claim of a rivalry between myself and Missy Giove, that's just ridiculous, too. I've always looked up to Giove, and I've tried to encourage women from all walks of life to enter the sport of mountain biking, no matter what they look like or believe in. The truth is I am not the most exciting person--I'm just a girl who loves to race bikes, nothing more, nothing less.

Leigh Donovan
Mission Viejo, California

What does posing topless have to do with mountain biking? I'm tired of the self-promotion and political statements. Neither Leigh Donovan nor Missy Giove is a role model in my book. Can't they just ride?

Sheila Hood
Houston, Texas

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